Coupling assembly for inflating members

ABSTRACT

An inflating member coupling assembly includes a number of inflating members each having one or more orifices, and a number of strings each having a retaining device attached to a free end portion for engaging with the orifices of the inflating members and for coupling the retaining devices of the strings to the inflating members easily and quickly without additional tools or fasteners. It is preferable that the retaining devices of the strings each include an opening and a spring-biased latch openably engaged in the opening for detachably coupling the retaining devices of the strings to the inflating members respectively.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a coupling assembly, and more particularly to an inflating member coupling assembly for coupling one or more balloons or gas inflating members and for allowing the balloons or gas inflating members to be coupled together in various suitable or selected shapes or patterns or configurations easily and quickly without additional tools or fasteners.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Typical balloons comprise an inflatable or inflating envelope body including a diameter reduced neck portion for forming or acting as an air port and for filling air or gas into the inflating envelope body. The air port or the diameter reduced neck portion of the inflating envelope body will then be twisted or tied into a knot for preventing the air or gas from flowing out of the inflating envelope body.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,347 to Ikemoto discloses one of the typical balloon neck fittings including a check valve section attached or coupled to the air port or the diameter reduced neck portion of an inflating envelope body or balloon, and a guide section coupled to the check valve section with a string for allowing the balloon or inflating member to be coupled and retained or positioned in place.

However, the typical balloon neck fittings may be used for coupling one inflating envelope body or balloon to the guide section only, but may not be used for coupling two or more inflating envelope bodies or balloons together.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,198 to Ishiwa, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,561 to Nottingham et al. disclose two of the typical gas inflatable toys each including an air valve for filling air or gas into the gas inflatable toys.

However, similarly, after the typical gas inflatable toys have been inflated with the air or gas, the typical gas inflatable toys may not be easily coupled together. The typical gas inflatable toys failed to provide any coupling assemblys for coupling one or more balloons or gas inflating members together.

For example, in the wedding ceremonies or the like, a number of balloons or gas inflating members are required to be coupled together into various suitable or selected shapes or patterns or configurations, but till now, the balloons or gas inflating members still may not be easily and quickly coupled together into various suitable or selected shapes or patterns or configurations.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional coupling devices for coupling balloons or gas inflating members together.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a coupling assembly for coupling one or more balloons or inflating members and for allowing the balloons or inflating members to be coupled together in various suitable or selected shapes or patterns or configurations easily and quickly without additional tools or fasteners.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided an inflating member coupling assembly comprising one or more inflating members each including at least one orifice formed therein, and one or more strings each including a retaining device attached to a free end portion thereof for engaging with the orifice of the inflating members and for coupling the retaining devices of the strings to the inflating members easily and quickly without additional tools or fasteners.

The retaining devices of the strings each include an opening formed therein for engaging with the orifice of the inflating members, and a spring-biased latch openably engaged in the opening of each of the inflating members for selectively enclosing the openings of the inflating members and for detachably coupling the retaining devices of the strings to the inflating members respectively.

The inflating members each include at least one ring member having the orifice formed therein for engaging with or for coupling the retaining devices of the strings respectively. The strings may be made of such as nylon materials or other strong materials. The inflating members may be made of such as polyvinyl chloride materials or the like. The strings may be coupled together at at least one knot for forming various kinds of suitable or selected shapes or patterns or configurations such as a string shape or a spherical shape or the like.

Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a coupling assembly in accordance with the present invention for coupling balloons or gas inflating members together.

FIG. 2 is a partial exploded view of the coupling assembly;

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the coupling assembly;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial perspective view of the coupling assembly;

FIG. 5 is a further enlarged partial perspective view of the coupling assembly illustrating the operation of the coupling assembly;

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view illustrating the other arrangement of the coupling assembly; and

FIG. 7 is a plan schematic view of the coupling assembly as shown in FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. 1-4, an inflating member coupling assembly 1 in accordance with the present invention comprises one or more balloons or gas inflating members 10 made of such as polyvinyl chloride materials and formed by such as hot-pressing processes and to be coupled together into various suitable or selected shapes or patterns or configurations with a coupling device 2 which includes one or more cables or strings 20 made of such as nylon materials and coupled together at one or more knots 29 (FIGS. 1 and 6-7), and one or more hooks or retaining devices 21 attached to the free end portions of the strings 20 respectively for coupling to the inflating members 10 respectively.

The inflating members 10 each include an air port or air valve 11 for filling air or gas into the inflating members 10 respectively, and each include one or more (such as two) orifices 12 formed therein, such as formed by one or more (such as two) ring members 13 respectively, or the inflating members 10 each include one or more (such as two) ring members 13 for hooking or coupling to the hooks or retaining devices 21 of the strings 20 of the coupling device 2 respectively and thus for allowing the inflating members 10 to be coupled or secured together to form the predetermined or selected shapes or patterns or configurations, such as a string shape as shown in FIG. 1, or a spherical shape as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

As shown in FIGS. 2-5, it is preferable that the hooks or retaining devices 21 of the strings 20 of the coupling device 2 each include an opening 22 formed therein for hooking or engaging with or coupling to the orifices 12 or the ring members 13 of the inflating members 10 respectively (FIG. 5), and a spring-biased latch 23 openably engaged in the opening 22 of the respective inflating members 10 for selectively enclosing the opening 22 of the respective inflating members 10 and for detachably hooking or coupling the retaining devices 21 of the strings 20 to the ring members 13 of the inflating members 10 respectively (FIGS. 3, 4) and for preventing the retaining devices 21 of the strings 20 from being disengaged from the ring members 13 of the inflating members 10 inadvertently.

In operation, as shown in FIG. 1, a number of retaining devices 21 of the strings 20 may be selectively or detachably hooked or coupled to the ring members 13 of the inflating members 10 for coupling or securing the inflating members 10 together to form the predetermined or selected shapes or patterns or configurations easily and quickly without additional tools or fasteners. Similarly, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a number of inflating members 10 may also be selectively or detachably hooked or coupled together to form a spherical shape easily and quickly without additional tools or fasteners.

Accordingly, the inflating member coupling assembly in accordance with the present invention may be provided for coupling one or more balloons or inflating members and for allowing the balloons or inflating members to be coupled together in various suitable or selected shapes or patterns or configurations easily and quickly without additional tools or fasteners.

Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed. 

1. An inflating member coupling assembly comprising: an inflating member including at least one orifice formed therein, and a string including a retaining device attached to a free end portion thereof for engaging with said at least one orifice of said inflating member and for coupling said retaining device of said string to said inflating member easily and quickly.
 2. The coupling assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inflating member includes a ring member having said at least one orifice formed therein.
 3. The coupling assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said retaining device of said string includes an opening formed therein for engaging with said at least one orifice of said inflating member, and a spring-biased latch openably engaged in said opening of said inflating member for enclosing said opening of said inflating member and for detachably coupling said retaining device of said string to said inflating member.
 4. The coupling assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said string is made of nylon materials.
 5. The coupling assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inflating member is made of polyvinyl chloride materials.
 6. An inflating member coupling assembly comprising: a plurality of inflating members each including at least one orifice formed therein, and a plurality of strings each including a retaining device attached to a free end portion thereof for engaging with said at least one orifice of said inflating members and for coupling said retaining devices of said strings to said inflating members easily and quickly.
 7. The coupling assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein said inflating members each include at least one ring member having said at least one orifice formed therein.
 8. The coupling assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein said retaining devices of said strings each include an opening formed therein for engaging with said at least one orifice of said inflating members, and a spring-biased latch openably engaged in said opening of each of said inflating members for enclosing said openings of said inflating members and for detachably coupling said retaining devices of said strings to said inflating members respectively.
 9. The coupling assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein said strings are made of nylon materials.
 10. The coupling assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein said inflating members are made of polyvinyl chloride materials.
 11. The coupling assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein said strings are coupled together at at least one knot. 